This invention relates to a separator apparatus that is to be disposed between items of food in a stack of food items to provide means to enable vapor to move between the stacked food items, and more particularly to a method of re-heating tortillas or flat bread in a microwave oven using the separator apparatus.
A tortilla made from baked corn meal is at traditional food item of Mexico. Individuals of Hispanic descent have brought tortillas into the mainstream of American cuisine. In the United States, tortillas are made from corn meal, ground whole wheat or white flour. In 1998, the purchase of tortillas represented approximately one-half of the total products made from dough purchased in this country.
Traditionally, a tortilla was made by heating corn meal dough on a grill, griddle or frying pan. When this method was used to provide a sufficient supply of fresh, hot tortillas to all diners at a meal, however, the person cooking the tortillas would not be able to participate in the meal with the other diners. Since the activity of providing a steady stream of fresh, hot tortillas to the diners must occur at the same that the diners are eating, the tortilla preparer will be cooking as the other diners eat and has no opportunity to actually participate in the meal as a diner. This problem is essentially resolved by the fact that prepared, packaged tortillas are now easily available throughout the country in all manner of grocery and food stores. To serve a sufficient quantity of tortillas with a meal to fill the appetites of all diners, it is now only necessary to heat the tortillas.
Various inventions have been proposed to warm tortillas. U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,471 to Monrad, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,869 to Orts and U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,924 to DeWitt all teach electrical devices to heat tortillas. In many instances, however, a microwave oven is the most useful means to use for heating tortillas. In order to heat a large number of tortillas at one time the tortillas are placed one upon the other in a stack. But when tortillas are heated in a stack in a microwave, the water vapor released as moisture during the process results in wet tortillas that tend to stick to one another. Soggy tortillas that are hard to separate are not aesthetically acceptable. It is possible to heat tortillas in a microwave without placing them in a stack, as shown for example by the teaching of the use of microwavable bowl in U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,976 to Akasaka. The Akasaka method has the disadvantage, however, that the tortillas must be individually folded prior to placement in the bowl.
There is still substantial usage of the method of heating tortillas in a microwave in a stack, and a need thus remains to rectify the problem that the water vapor released when tortillas are heated in a stack causes soggy tortillas that stick together. The separator of this invention resolves that problem by enabling water vapor generated during heating to move between the individual tortillas in a stack and thus escape. Excess moisture thus does not collect, as a result of the heating, in a manner that causes soggy or sticky tortillas.
In one aspect, this invention relates to a separator, disposed between stacked food items, comprising means to enable vapor to move between the stacked food items.
In a further aspect, this invention relates to stacked food items, between which is disposed a separator that comprises means to enable vapor to move between the stacked food items.
In one embodiment, the invention comprises an assembly of prepared food items and separators alternatingly stacked for microwave re-heating. The assembly includes a plurality of prepared food items arranged in a stack, and separators disposed freely between adjacent food items for releasing water vapor. Each separator between adjacent food items has an essentially planar structure having a top surface and a bottom surface with mullions, channels, ridges or perforations to enable water vapor to move between and away from the adjacent prepared food items. Each separator between adjacent food items has the bottom surface supported on a superior surface of a first one of the adjacent food items, and the upper surface supporting an inferior surface of a second one of the adjacent food items. The stack can also include a lowermost separator below a lowermost one of the said plurality of food items. The food items can be tortillas, preferably corn tortillas. The assembly can also include packaging for the stack, preferably a plastic bag. Alternatively, the assembly can also include a microwave-safe container housing the stack. The container can have thermal insulation, and preferably includes rigid upright walls and a removable lid.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for re-heating a plurality of food items, e.g. flat bread such as tortillas, in a microwave oven, comprising stacking a plurality of the food items alternatingly with the separator placed between adjacent food items, placing the stacked food items in the oven, supplying microwave radiation to heat the food items, and letting water vapor escape from between the food items via the separators.
In one embodiment, the method includes placing the assembly described above in the heating compartment of a microwave oven, introducing microwaves into the heating compartment to heat the prepared food items, and allowing water vapor to escape via the separators. The lowermost separator, when present, is on a microwave support surface, e.g. a plate, tray, or directly on a bottom surface of the heating compartment. Where the stack is packaged, e.g. in a plastic bag, the method preferably includes removing the stack from the packaging before placing it in the microwave heating compartment. If desired, the stack can be placed in a resealable microwave-safe container that is preferably insulated, and the stack/container assembly microwaved; the re-heated tortillas or other food items can thus be conveniently served in the same container used for microwaving, for example by removing and replacing the lid for access to the tortillas, while the insulative effect of the container helps keep the tortillas hot for a longer period of time than if the container were not used.